1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to removable protective covers for vehicle body panels for use during off-road travel, and more particularly, to the protection of a motor vehicle's painted metal body panels from hazards commonly encountered while traveling off-road. More specifically, the invention relates to a set of flexible magnetic sheets cut specifically for any particular make and model of vehicle, removably held in place by a force of magnetic attraction inherent throughout the flexible magnetic sheets and additionally secured by adhesive water resistant tape.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is a well known fact that road hazards such as flying debris, stones and insects encountered while driving a motor vehicle on the roadway damage a vehicle's paint, causing a less desirable appearance and loss of value. While a vehicle is traveling on a paved road typical damage comes from insects, small stones or pieces of debris made airborne by tires of vehicles traveling in front of said vehicle. The damaging objects are struck by the forward moving vehicle causing damage to the front of the vehicle, and because the objects are not attached to anything, they bounce off and away from the vehicle after impact. One product addresses this issue, most notably a vehicle front-end protector commonly known as a “bra”. Because the aforementioned product protects only a front of the vehicle, it does not offer sufficient protection for a vehicle traveling off-road.
Some of the most common hazards a vehicle traveling in an off-road environment encounters are very large quantities of dirt, stones, mud, and water made airborne by the vehicle's own tires, as well as tall grass bushes and tree branches that that come in contact with the vehicle as it pushes through the brush. Unlike loose debris encountered on paved roads, the branches encountered off-road are typically attached to trees and do not bounce off the front of the vehicle on impact. Branches, often dead, sharp and without leaves, scrape along the entire length of the vehicle as it passes by. This causes deep long scratches in the vehicle's paint, commonly called “pin stripes” by those who often travel off-road in their vehicles.
Some efforts heretofore proposed to protect more than the front of a vehicle's body panels from damage are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,459 issued to Lantrip on May 20, 1986 for Vehicle protective cover. However, it differs from the present invention because Lantrip teaches protective covers for use on vehicles, which uses an array of clips, belts, and fasteners to attach and adjust a cover. The use of multiple attachment devices adds to the cost of the cover and adds to the installation time the user must dedicate to attach and remove the cover.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,996 issued to Hirose on Jan. 13, 1987 for Vehicle body cover. However, it differs from the present invention because Hirose teaches a vehicle body cover being formed of a cover sheet which is waterproof and weatherproof that uses adhesive, metal hook buttons or fasteners to attach the cover in multiple locations but not completely to the vehicle. The aforementioned cover and any similar, that incorporate a flexible material that is attached in multiple locations but not completely attached to the vehicle are not preferable for off-road use. This is because the majority of the inside (side making contact with the vehicle paint) area of the cover intermittently comes in contact with the vehicle body panel in such a way that large amounts of dirt, rocks, and debris made airborne by the vehicle tires can get between the protective cover and the vehicle's painted body panel. Once said dirt and debris get between the protective cover and the vehicle body panel, the intermittent movement of the cover against the vehicle panel by the force of wind and contact with brush can cause the very scratches to the vehicle body panel the cover is supposed to prevent.
Hirose also teaches a removable vehicle body cover being formed of a covering sheet which is waterproof and weatherproof that uses adhesive to attach the cover completely to the vehicle by applying an unspecified adhesive on the overall surface of the automobile. Applying adhesive to the entire contact surface and waiting for it to cure before use, and then cleaning said adhesive from the entire contact surface of the vehicle and the entire contact surface of the cover after use is a lengthy process that few consumers will be willing to do every time they operate their vehicle off-road.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,324 issued to Flesher on Oct. 27, 1992 for Protective cover for vehicles. However, it differs from the present invention because Flesher teaches a protective cover for vehicles wherein a flexible material, having a magnetic base, is cut in segments to provide a protective cover for a vehicle. While the aforementioned invention may be sufficient for paved roads, it will not effectively protect a vehicle against the aforementioned typical off-road hazards because Flesher teaches that the various segments of the protective cover are placed adjacent to each other in a side-by-side relation. When segments are placed in a side by side by side-by-side relation, there exists a small gap where the edges of the two segments meet. A branch traveling across this gap with moderate force can catch the edge of the segment and peel it off the vehicle, allowing the vehicle's exposed painted metal body panel to be damaged, thus affecting the loss of the protective cover segment. Even when the panel is not peeled off, branches dragging across the gap will come into contact with the edge of the magnetic sheet where the plastic covering is bonded to the magnetic base. This constant scraping, as the vehicle moves through the brush, will eventually cause the plastic covering to separate from the magnetic base, thereby damaging the protective cover panel.
Flesher also teaches that a plurality of spaced grooves is provided across the magnetic base portion of each segment so that moisture may pass beneath the flexible material. Providing spaced grooves across the magnetic base portion of each segment allows for substantially less magnetic material incorporated into each panel, greatly reducing it's magnetic strength to the vehicle's painted metal body panel.
Flesher also teaches that the segments of the protective cover are secured by the magnetic attraction of the magnetic base portion to the magnetically attractive body portion of the vehicle. A vehicle traveling in an off-road environment frequently travels through standing water, causing a stream of water to be forced outward in all directions from the area where the tire makes contact with the ground. Testing has revealed that this stream of water often makes contact with the edge of the protective cover with force great enough to overpower the force of magnetic attraction inherent in the protective cover, causing it to be unintentionally removed from the vehicle and exposing the vehicle's painted body panel to possible damage and effecting the loss and/or damage of the protective cover sheet.
Flesher also teaches that only the segments of the protective cover are secured by the magnetic attraction of the magnetic base portion to the magnetically attractive body portion of the vehicle. A vehicle traveling in an off-road environment frequently encounters branches that typically first make contact at the front of the vehicle and then scrape along the vehicle side until it passes. Testing has revealed that as branches scrape along the side of the vehicle, they come in contact with leading edges (closest to the front of the vehicle) of protective cover sheets with force great enough to overpower the force of magnetic attraction inherent in the protective cover, causing it to be unintentionally removed from the vehicle and exposing the vehicle's painted body panel to possible damage and effecting the loss and/or damage of the protective cover sheet.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.